Chapter 99: War Of Attrition?
Ge Bai blinked her eyes, watching Fang Miao Wen walk dejectedly onto the stage. She looked up at Ran Cai Jiao scolding the little girl and Big White Bear, wanting to laugh but holding it back.
She originally wanted to watch this little interlude between cousins a bit longer, but she didn’t have much time before the next match was about to begin.
The entire Jinggang No. 1 Middle School Special Recruitment schedule was arranged very tightly.
After the referee confirmed with each of the four players that no Pet Beast treatment or Spiritual Power Recovery was needed, the semifinals for the upper and lower brackets were respectively arranged at Venue One and Venue Two.
“Is there anyone willing to forfeit the match?”
The schedule had progressed to this point.
The referee’s extra question was basically just asking in vain.
Ge Bai walked toward Venue One while glancing at Venue Two, not knowing how their battle would turn out.
Her gaze turned back to the front, just in time to see Shi Chenliang bringing the Empty Mirror Doll onto the field from the other side.
Shi Chenliang, Empty Mirror Doll, and the Spiritual Power Mirror Doors filling the field.
In the previous matches, both of them had won effortlessly, and most people were still a bit confused about exactly how they won.
For this match, Ge Bai knew deep down it wouldn’t be easy.
“You rest first. Qian Dai will be the main attacker this match.”
Ge Bai said softly to Big Willow.
“Okay, Bai Bai.” Big Willow had no objections. “Good luck, Qian Dai.”
Big Willow had always been magnanimous. He never felt superior to Qian Dai just because he was in the main attacker position while she supported him from behind.
Qian Dai, on the other hand, was excited and particularly happy.
Although she knew very well that her overall strength was inferior to Big Willow’s, her competitive spirit was no weaker than his.
“Bai Bai, don’t worry! I’ll catch that Doll.”
Qian Dai’s Flower Sword began to sway rhythmically.
Hearing Qian Dai say this, Ge Bai shook her head slightly.
“Don’t just focus on the Doll. Also pay attention to the Spiritual Power Mirror Doors. I think that’s the key to breaking the enemy.”
Just now, Ge Bai had also glanced at the Empty Mirror Doll following Shi Chenliang.
She connected her Spiritual Sense to the System and observed it, but gained little information.
[Type: Empty Mirror Doll (Commander Race)]
[Spiritual Power Value: Transcendence Realm Level 1]
[Attribute: Space Element]
[Skill: Mirror Domain – Proficient. Skill Description: Constructs Spiritual Power Mirror Doors. The Empty Mirror Doll can freely shuttle within the Mirrors. Mirror proficiency is positively correlated with the Empty Mirror Doll’s Spiritual Power reserves.]
[Skill: Mirror Shatter – Proficient. Skill Description: Shoots Mirror Shards containing spatial power from the Spiritual Power Mirror Door, dealing damage to enemies.]
The System’s descriptions of these two skills were very simple.
The Empty Mirror Doll can freely shuttle within the Mirrors? That’s stating the obvious!
It seemed that for more detailed information, Ge Bai could only hope that Big Willow and Qian Dai would figure it out during the battle against the Empty Mirror Doll.
However, just from this data, it was clear that Shi Chenliang was also a tough opponent.
The Mirror Domain skill proficiency had been pushed to the Proficient stage.
The Mirror Shatter attack skill proficiency had also reached Proficient.
Just now, in the match against the Tiger with Upward-Looking Eyes, Ge Bai and the others had roughly seen that this Mirror Shatter skill’s attack power was only average.
But whether that was truly the case, no one could say for sure.
After all, everyone knew that Space Element Pet Beasts were elusive, with plenty of follow-up moves, and the hardest to handle.
Ge Bai brought Big Willow and Qian Dai onto the field.
After taking position, Big Willow reverted to his normal form but didn’t step forward, choosing to stand beside Ge Bai instead.
Qian Dai hovered in the air directly in front of Big Willow and Ge Bai.
Shi Chenliang, on the opposite side of the arena, saw this scene and slightly raised an eyebrow.
Having battled all the way here, this Spirit Planter Ge Bai demanded serious attention.
Big Willow’s violent output had shocked everyone present. He had already prepared a plan to suppress and defeat Big Willow.
But now it seemed his and the Empty Mirror Doll’s opponent was this Thousand Generations Spring Sword Orchid.
Shi Chenliang was still a bit surprised. After all, in the eyes of everyone including himself, this Thousand Generations Orchid seemed to have only shown solid Spatial Teleportation ability.
Ge Bai knew little about him, and his knowledge of Ge Bai was also superficial.
Whatever, meet soldiers with generals, meet water with earth.
Shi Chenliang quickly let it go and calmed down. He was very confident in his Empty Mirror Doll.
——
The match began.
The Empty Mirror Doll and Thousand Generations Orchid disappeared from their spots simultaneously.
The difference was that Thousand Generations Orchid randomly appeared high in the sky, while the Empty Mirror Doll’s Flash landing point was not far from Thousand Generations Orchid’s previous position.
Both sides displayed impressive Space Element Spiritual Power Fluctuations.
The Empty Mirror Doll left a Spiritual Power Mirror Door in front of Ge Bai and the others.
The first one!
Thousand Generations Orchid in the sky tentatively launched a Thousand Generations Sword at the Empty Mirror Doll.
This was naturally a Pseudo Qian Dai Sword.
She didn’t expect this attack to deal any damage to the Empty Mirror Doll, nor even to graze it.
And indeed, that’s how it turned out.
Just as the Pseudo Qian Dai Sword was about to touch the Empty Mirror Doll, it disappeared again, Flashing into the door.
The Pseudo Qian Dai Sword stabbed into the ground in front of the Mirror Door.
The Empty Mirror Doll, having Flashed and disappeared behind the Mirror Door, reappeared beside Qian Dai and set up the second Mirror Door.
In this match, the Mirror Door setup would absolutely be more complex and elaborate than the previous one.
In the previous match, all the Mirror Doors were mainly concentrated on the arena floor, forming a plane.
But now, since both Pet Beasts were Space Element and both had flight capabilities.
The Empty Mirror Doll’s Mirror Doors would inevitably be scattered throughout the three-dimensional space.
Qian Dai Flashed back a short distance, not too far from the second Mirror Door.
The Empty Mirror Doll seized the opportunity, emerging from the Mirror Door while bringing out a Mirror Shatter.
Mirror Shards swirling with Spiritual Power Fluctuations shot straight toward Qian Dai.
Qian Dai was unfazed and blocked the Empty Mirror Doll’s attack steadily with another Pseudo Qian Dai Sword.
This Mirror Shatter really looked like its attack power was just average.
A war of attrition?
Ge Bai looked up at the scene, frowning with some headache.
If the strength the Empty Mirror Doll had shown so far was its full real capability.
And her side couldn’t find a way to break the situation, then dragging it out like this, who would win or lose was anyone’s guess.
But the more Spiritual Power Mirror Doors the Empty Mirror Doll set up in the venue, the lower their side’s win rate.
No, there must be a flaw.
Ge Bai’s mind raced.
Although the Empty Mirror Doll was rare, it was just a Commander Bloodline Space Element Pet Beast. If Mirror Domain was truly invincible with no way to counter it, she couldn’t have heard nothing about it.
This Mirror Domain must have a way to crack it. Keep watching!
“Don’t rush, Qian Dai. Take it slow.”
Ge Bai valued this match more than the previous ones. After thinking, she spoke to remind Qian Dai.
“Attack when you get the chance, but don’t aim for a one-shot kill. Pull back your Flash distance.”
Ge Bai watched the ever-increasing Mirror Doors, pondering the countermeasure while inwardly worried, feeling uneasy.
“La, got it!”
Before disappearing from her spot, Qian Dai didn’t forget to shoot a Pseudo Qian Dai Sword at the Empty Mirror Doll.
Qian Dai, with all her focus on Spatial Teleportation, landed this casual strike without hitting the Empty Mirror Doll.
But due to the two Pet Beasts being too close, the Thousand Generations Sword followed the Empty Mirror Doll disappearing into the door and passed through the Mirror Door together.
An unexpected scene occurred.
Everyone originally thought the Thousand Generations Sword would emerge directly on the other side of the Mirror Door after passing through, just like the Tiger with Upward-Looking Eyes futilely swiping at the Mirror Door.
But that didn’t happen.
The Thousand Generations Sword that passed through the Mirror Door disappeared inside and then instantly appeared behind the first Mirror Door.
Could the Thousand Generations Sword also borrow the spatial channel constructed by the Spiritual Power Mirror Door?
Yes, the spatial channel.
Don’t be fooled by the Empty Mirror Doll’s flashy Spiritual Power Mirror Doors.
But at its core, it was nothing more than establishing an entrance at one anchor point in space, setting up an invisible spatial channel for ordinary people, with the other anchor point at another location in space.
The Empty Mirror Doll used Space Element Spiritual Power to Teleport through the spatial channels it set up.
His Teleportation wasn’t as flexible as Qian Dai’s, but that didn’t mean it was inferior.
Within the Mirror Doors laid out by the Empty Mirror Doll, its Teleportation consumption would inevitably be much lower than Qian Dai’s, who needed Spatial Teleportation each time.
Moreover, what made Ge Bai most uneasy was that this skill was called “Mirror Domain,” not “Teleportation Door.”
No time to think about that now. This serendipitous Thousand Generations Sword truly caught Ge Bai’s eye.
Ge Bai sharply turned her gaze to Shi Chenliang.
Shi Chenliang, who was also intently watching the field, frowned tightly when he saw the Thousand Generations Sword pass through the Spiritual Power Mirror Door.
He hadn’t expected this scene either. It was very unfavorable.
“Big Willow, try it. Fire a Wind Blade at the first Mirror Door.”
With her gaze on Shi Chenliang, Ge Bai clearly instructed Big Willow.
“Liu Gu!”
Having watched idly on the field, Big Willow was getting itchy to act.
Before Ge Bai finished speaking, Big Willow swiftly shot a Wind Blade at the Mirror Door in front of him.
But this time, Big Willow’s Wind Blade wasn’t teleported through the Mirror Door’s spatial channel like the Thousand Generations Sword.
It merely passed through the Mirror Door and landed on the ground behind it.
Ge Bai pondered for a moment, patted Big Willow, said nothing, and turned her gaze back to Qian Dai and the Empty Mirror Doll chasing and Flashing in mid-air.
Qian Dai kept pulling back her Flash distance, while the Empty Mirror Doll closely pursued behind her, continuously setting up Mirror Doors.
The two occasionally clashed.
But it was just Pseudo Qian Dai Swords without strong attack power against Mirror Shatters that also seemed to lack strong attack power.
“Who do you think will win?”
Ping Ningyan leaned on the stage railing, arms crossed, watching this venue with interest.
Although the match between the Long family kid next door and Yi Kai Jun had also started, they were still in the probing phase.
It wasn’t as splendid as this side appeared.
Yes, Ge Bai and Shi Chenliang’s matchup wasn’t particularly exciting, but the field was filled with ethereal Mirror Doors, some refracting brilliant light from different angles.
Clearly, this venue looked more dreamlike, and with the two small ones constantly Flashing high and low, it inevitably drew the gaze of most of the audience.
“Their levels are both too average.”
Coach Zheng Mingchun watched the two Pet Beasts Flashing in the air with a stern face, giving a not-so-high evaluation.
“That harsh, Coach Zheng?”
Ping Ningyan always wore a smile, appearing nonchalant.
“What kind of nonsense battle is this? It looks all flashy, no different from kids playing house.”
Coach Zheng Mingchun frowned and shook his head.
“Sigh, aren’t they all just kids?”
Dissatisfied with Ping Ningyan’s leniency, Zheng Mingchun furrowed his brows tighter.
——
At the back of the stands.
Principal Hu Shuo and Professor Luo Wan’s attention was also on Ge Bai and Shi Chenliang.
“These two kids are fighting cautiously.”
Principal Hu Shuo’s evaluation was much more tactful, but Professor Luo Wan shook her head directly.
“Ge Bai is at a disadvantage. If she can’t quickly figure out how to crack the Mirror Doors, once the Empty Mirror Doll completes the Mirror Array, she’ll lose.”
“Not necessarily. She should still have some damage resistance.”
Principal Hu Shuo responded with a hearty laugh.
Clearly, these two knew much more about the Empty Mirror Doll than Ge Bai did.
——
“It looks impressive, but why does it feel so drawn out?”
Fang Miao Wen had just seen the semifinals start on both venues and immediately sat up straight, pretending to be focused, making Ran Cai Jiao hold back from saying more.
Glancing at the venue and then at her cousin, Ran Cai Jiao asked.
“Not yet, but it’s getting close.”
Hearing her cousin say this, Fang Miao Wen got excited.
“You favor Shi Chenliang?”
“In the current situation, Ge Bai’s Big Willow and Thousand Generations Orchid really have no way to deal with the Empty Mirror Doll, right?”
Ran Cai Jiao teased.
“Seems like it.” Fang Miao Wen spoke hesitantly, but it was the truth. “But in a war of attrition to the end, it might not be Ge Bai’s side that loses.”
“You think this is a war of attrition.”
Ran Cai Jiao eyed Fang Miao Wen sideways, looking at her like an idiot.
Fang Miao Wen widened her eyes innocently, looking at her cousin.
“Isn’t it?”
Shaking her head, Ran Cai Jiao didn’t want to deal with her cousin at all.
She sighed inwardly that in this year’s Jinggang No. 1 Middle School top four in combat power, Fang Miao Wen really couldn’t make the cut—far inferior to herself back then.
——
On the field.
Watching the Mirror Doors now covering most of the venue high and low, Ge Bai’s uneasy feeling accumulated more and more. She even felt a rare trace of irritation.
She absolutely didn’t believe that Shi Chenliang had won every match so far purely through attrition.
The First Order Transcendence Realm Empty Mirror Doll, though showing only two skills.
Its strength certainly wasn’t as ordinary as displayed. They just had hidden trump cards she hadn’t spotted yet.
Just like her own Qian Dai—no need to mention killer moves, not even the real Thousand Generations Sword had been used this match.
No, this absolutely wouldn’t do if it continued.
At this moment, Shi Chenliang was also silently instructing his Pet Beast.
“Water Moon, stop playing. Speed it up.”
“Jing.”
The Empty Mirror Doll responded leisurely with a chirp.
